1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to suspended cable systems and, more particularly, to novel systems and methods for braking and retrieving trolleys traveling on suspended cable systems.
2.The Background Art
Many cable-based trolley systems, sometimes called Ziplines, provide no braking They simply use a cable declining at a shallow angle in which a rise at the lower end slows a user. Others may have a brake set at a fixed parameter. Also, current trolleys do not provide a user control “on-the-fly” over the magnitude of a braking force or friction force generated by the trolley as it travels along a cable. That is, to one degree or another, a user or knowledgeable operator must preselect the braking force or the range of braking force to be provided by the trolley. Once selected, the arrangement is not easily or safely changed without stopping the trolley and relieving the trolley of the user's weight.
In certain embodiments, legal liability and user inexperience may favor such inflexibility. However, in other embodiments, greater user control may be desirable. Accordingly, what is needed is a trolley providing safe, “on-the-fly” adjustment between minimum braking and maximum braking.